


The Greens Way of Life

by WriteJay



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Love Confessions, One Shot Collection, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:47:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25025644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriteJay/pseuds/WriteJay
Summary: Every Powerpuff and Rowdruff has its own quirk. It turns out that a pair, in particular, possessed an attraction as strong as the urge to push their counter-half off a cliff, or simply enter a discussion.
Relationships: Butch & Buttercup Utonium, Butch/Buttercup Utonium
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	1. Charming Flaws

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first Fic in English, and since I could not choose a specific theme and I'm very bored in this quarantine, I decided to make a collection of one shots with this couple.  
> Since I’m obsessed with Arley's drawings (@leecheedoodles), I felt obliged to write about the Greens. What can I say? I love Buttercup.  
> P.S: if you encounter any grammar errors, please let me know, I want to learn how to write better.

_"By cutting the defects themselves can be dangerous. You never know what is the defect that sustains our entire building"_

_—_ Clarice Lispector

In all truth, Butch had a lot of difficulty finding flaws in his wife, and even when he found it, it seemed some kind of charming defect. That was a paradox difficult to understand.

Buttercup was a hothead, and thus caused many fights, not only with third parties but with Butch as well. On top of that, her lack of patience hindered her from hearing explanations, resulting in misunderstandings. But all the arguments between them ended in bed, while the fights with others ended with punches - which, to Butch, was the perfect combo.

His wife's stubbornness also had a good side: when she was wrong and obviously wouldn’t admit that, it sometimes made her try to change the subject, usually using sex. Too bad that with Butch being, well, Butch, led him to display a sly smirk while he came back to the topic when they were done, making her angry all over again.

Provoking her was easy and fun. Moreover, when she got to the edge of patience, he would kiss her, throwing her off her game. Sometimes she’d crack a little smile and whisper an "idiot", other times, she’d punch him in the jaw.

It was always worth a shot for the kiss.

She couldn't cook for her damn life either (that’s why he was in charge of cooking). Of course, he ate whatever she tried to do, risking even his health for the sake of his marriage, and although he made fun of her all the time, he always cleaned his plate. To him, the fact that she still tried to do something was cute, even when failing miserably. In these cases, after ordering food, of course, he tried to undo the frown in her pretty face (usually formed when she couldn’t do something right) with funny jokes, kisses on the neck and face. Finally, he would make love to her all night, while whispering how lucky he was to have her and to have survived one more dinner.

Now, Butch watched her from afar, as she cussed on the phone. That beautiful rose-colored mouth said many bad words due to the inability of an officer in one of the cases she was working on, or so it seemed. He loved to watch her get mad, especially when the anger wasn’t directed at him.

“I don’t give a fuck” she hissed “that shit was your responsibility and if he escapes it will be your fucking fault”. Then, she slammed the phone on the table hard enough for a shattered sound to fill the living room.

“Mitchelson messed up again?” he asked rhetorically.

“You know”

She ran her hand through her jet-black hair and sighed loudly. That was his cue to smirk and extend his right hand toward her.

“What?” she questioned stressed.

“Just shut up and come here”

Still a little resigned and with an irritated scowl, Buttercup approached her husband enough that his outstretched hand reached her. With a tug on her wrist, Butch managed to make her fall into his lap, much to the woman’s nuisance.

“You’re too tense, Butters, you need to chill, it’s your day off”, his arms wrapped around her waist.

She glares daggers at the man.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do”, though the words sounded harsh, Buttercup leaned on her man’s wide chest.

“Someone needs to keep an eye on your damn blood pressure. I’m married to you, woman, so this is my job. One with a very low wage, by the way”

“Fuck you”

“You already have. Many times. Repeatedly. Including this morning”

The woman just rolled her eyes, accustomed to these responses, and too tired at the moment to say something back. After a short and comfortable silence, Buttercup returned to speak in a tone of frustration.

“Shit, I forgot to stop by the market to buy the things for dinner”

Butch murmured a “thank God” who didn’t go unnoticed by the ears of his counterpart. The Green Puff hit his shoulder with the back of her hand.

“Oh, shut it!”

His reply to that is just a laugh.

“How about we eat out tonight?”, he suggests.

“Didn’t you say you were going to the Blue’s and help Boomer build the crib tonight?”

She was visibly getting calmer, so much so that she started drawing little circles with her finger on the exposed part of his arm. As the pressure on her finger was low, the feeling was pleasant.

“Nah, I can reschedule, it’s not like the kid is being born today”

“I’m not sure. Bubbles seems ready to pop anytime”, she half-joked and half meant.

The blonde Puff was eight months pregnant and Butch thought his brother had waited too long to arrange things for the kid. Too many panic attacks and too little action. Anyway, his priority was the stressed woman sitting on his lap and not his dumb brother.

“Again, you need to relax”

“ I just-“

“No”, he cut her off decisively, “I know you. You’ll try to make excuses to not go out tonight and if you stay home you’ll think about work”

Buttercup stared at her husband with the corner of her eyes and, after a few seconds of silence, she sighed.

“I guess you do know me”

After so many years together, Buttercup was improving her ability to admit feelings and verbalize thoughts. While saving time for others, this was not necessary for Butch, who could read her like the palm of his hand.

“It’s settled. We fuck and then we’ll go get dinner”

The seriousness with which he had said it that almost made her doubt that he meant. Soon she knew he was telling the truth when his hand slid under her blouse.

“Dessert before dinner, huh?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave space for later too”, the response was muffled, because his lips were pressed against the female neck.

“You’re so impatient”, she laughed, and that was the best sound for Butch’s ears.

“That’s me, babe”

Buttercup turned, smiled and whispered, “but I like that about you too”.

That was enough to make him lose it. The Green Ruff stood up with the brunette in his arms, kissing her before she could protest and walking towards their room.

He was determined to include another flaw in his wife’s list: _arriving at the restaurant on short notice, just before closing._


	2. A Punch for a Kiss

_“Sometimes I hate you for almost a second, then I love you more”._

_— Quase um Segundo,_ Cazuza

“Yo, is that all you got for today?”

Buttercup closed her right fist and punched the ground hard, forcing her body to stand up. The determination did not let her look for a second, despite the pain that went through her body.

“Does it look like I’m done, asshole?”

He opened a wild smile.

“Didn’t think so”

Both of them were wrecked, with bruises and redness distributed throughout the body. Buttercup felt her back burn from the previous kick, while Butch’s left eye was closed because of the blood dripping from his forehead. The fight was already going on for two hours – the standard for them.

Already standing, the girl did not wait much to approach the rival and try to hit him with a blow. When he stopped her fist, she quickly turned her body and kicked him in the ribs. Hard. She could’ve sworn that she heard a “crack”.

However, Butch held the leg to the side of his body and swiftly spun, launching the Puff into another building. The speed at which she was thrown barely gave Buttercup time to react.

The glass in the windows broke and the final impact was against a thick wall. The girl mentally thanked the fact that they were fighting in a place full of abandoned buildings, while tasting the blood in her mouth.

Without raising her head, Buttercup took a large piece that had been detached from the wall and launched towards the Ruff - she didn’t need to look to know where he was. One punch from him was enough to break the flying object in the middle, but she had used it the distraction and already took the breach to take him to the ground, with one foot in the boy’s chest. She applied more pressure and stared at him from above in a vicious way, knowing his ribs were probably broken and they hurt like a bitch.

“Motherfucker”, he angrily hissed.

“Who’s struggling now, jerk?”, she grinned like a Cheshire cat.

Her celebration was short-lived. Quickly, Butch held her by the shins and made her lose balance, taking her to the ground, right by his side.

Her head hit the floor violently and painfully enough to make her close her eyes unconsciously. Closing your eyes in a fight is never a good idea.

When she opened her eyes again, anxious, Buttercup looked into a pair of forest green eyes staring back at her. His arms were beside her head and the warm breath (that strangely smelled like mint and coffee) hit the girl’s face. Maybe the beat in her head was stronger than it seemed, and now she started to feel dizzy.

“Time’s up, Butterbitch”, he announced and showed the timer, which he had taken out of his pocket, in his hands.

The girl blinked a few times before the confusion turned into frustration.

“What?! Already? Come on!”

“Hey, I didn’t come up with this fucking rule, did I?”

Oh, right, it was her idea.

They were doing this “extra-curricular activity" for a few months now. The monster fights were shrinking and the Ruff boys were in rehab or something, in short, their lives lacked the much-loved action. They were both starving for battles; so Butch came up with this arrangement where they would meet once a week to “blow up some steam”, as he put. It wasn’t as if she occupied her time with arts and crafts or debate clubs (like her sisters). Buttercup had few interests besides sports and fighting, anyway.

After some more weeks, the Green Puff felt that they would be caught red-handed soon, due to their carelessness. Coming home and even arrived at other appointments late was starting to look suspicious - it didn’t take much to realize they were up to something.

But, why did she think to stipulate a time limit? Stupid rule.

“I think that this means that I won today”

That line made her turn her attention to the boy above her while raising an eyebrow and her lips formed a straight line.

“What makes you think that?”

“You’re on the floor, aren’t you?”

“You’re also on the floor, dumbass”

“Yeah, but” he smirked, but all she could think about was how close to her lips he was “I’m on top”

“That’s easy to change” she said, although she didn’t move to reverse the situation. The tiredness weighed her down.

“Maybe, but, like I said, time’s up”

For a few seconds, she waited for him to turn his face and stand up, but that didn’t happen. Butch was still staring at her. Why was he staring at her so much?

Suddenly, Buttercup felt self-conscious as she licked her dry lower lip. Lately, he had this effect on her. It was annoying. Yet, more irritating than this reaction was the feeling of disappointment when he pulled away from her. He would always pull away at the last moment and then say goodbye.

However, this time, the Ruff was still standing over her, watching every move of her face. She swallowed.

When she opened her mouth, in an attempt to make conversation and forget the embarrassment, his lips silenced her before the words came out. Almost automatically, her arms tied the boy’s neck and his tongue found the way into her mouth. One of his hands descended to her waist while the other arm continued to sustain the entire weight of his body, thus not to crush her under him. She wondered if he could taste the rations of blood in her mouth.

Their kiss became hungrier and, shortly, the act became a contest for dominance. It was to be expected that the shock of two intense personalities would be like this, none of them yielding to the other party. Both wanted to "win", even if there was no first place in this situation.

Apparently, they were like that: the type who fights even during a kiss.

The pair only split up when the air began to be lacking in their lungs.

As if she had come out of a trance, and decided not to return to that strange "staring game", Buttercup pushed him away with a punch in the face.

“What the hell, woman?!”, he screamed in surprise, holding his aching chin.

“Time to go”, she answered plainly as she stood up and beat the dust of the shorts.

“Rude”, he murmured in a sullen ton, clearly disappointed.

After he recollected himself, Butch turned to the Puff and asked in a much brighter tone.

“Hey, same time next thursday?”

“You don’t even have to ask”

When she flew through the clouds, leaving a trail of green light behind, the girl touched her lips. They were a little swollen. Her face flushed, so she tried to put the thoughts aside.

There was no point in thinking about what that kiss meant now. They would meet next week to fight anyway.

Maybe they would talk about it, maybe not. Maybe they would kiss again, maybe not. It didn’t matter to her, either the punches, the kicks, or the kiss.

"Yes, I don’t care"

She kept telling herself that on her way home.


	3. The Bet Spices comes in Tiny Bottles

_“What some people don’t have in height, they have in attitude”_

_—_ My mom

Buttercup could feel the gazes directed towards them, they stared for a few seconds before lost interest and looked elsewhere, or, at least, pretended not to care, others were circling the table like vultures, waiting for some gossip. Of course, she was used to it. Though, usually, this was due to her "superhero" status and not comparisons between heights. For that reason, this situation sucks.

 _“Oddly enough they match”_ , one said in a small voice. Obviously, she could hear everything with her super hearing, even if it were in the lowest whisper in history.

 _“She almost looks cute next to him. Maybe it’s because she’s **tiny** ”_, another one whispered back.

The Puff broke the fork she had on her hand. Height was a sensitive topic for her. She knew it was stupid, but even if the girl denied she cared, it would be a lie.

The self-proclaimed toughest fighter was the shortest among the sisters, and she hated it. The Green Puff still couldn’t understand how three people created at the same time, with the same things, have such different personality traits and appearance. It didn't make sense. But neither did be created with sugar, spice, and everything nice, did it?

Although, as she discovered, walking next to her sisters wasn’t so bad after all. Buttercup was 5'2 while Bubbles, 5'4, and Blossom almost hit 5'5.

It's different when she stands next to Butch. He's 6’1. Fucking six feet and one-goddamnit-inch. Her counterpart was the taller among his brothers (Boomer was 5’7 and Brick, 5’9), and probably he would grow a little more since he's seventeen and people stop growing between eighteen and twenty.

Perhaps she would have accepted her condition better, had her male copy not been ridiculously high. It wasn’t fair.

Just being by his side highlighted that difference by itself. But there was nothing she could do, not even avoid him, because the stupidly tall Ruff was her boyfriend.

How did that happen? Well, long story short: they knew each other since childhood and, at some point in their lives, they were together almost constantly, so one thing led to another. It wasn’t a shock to the rest of the Puffs and Ruffs, really, but the siblings couldn't fathom their relationship based mainly on bickering and fights. Nevertheless, even without understanding, they decided to accept and leave it at that.

The Greens were officially together for two months, but the public only learned about this recently with an article published in a gossip magazine. The text content was ridiculous, with a large photo of the two in a date at a skatepark and written: " _The Toughest Puff got a weak spot? Another Townsville heroine lives a romance with a former rival”,_ across the picture.

“I’m gonna punch them, BC”, said boyfriend said in a low but threatening tone, that snapped her mind back to the conversation. He was sitting next to her, with an arm around the girl’s neck.

The group (featuring: Brick, Blossom, Boomer, Bubbles, and Butch, besides herself) gathered at a table in the high school cafeteria. Now, it was common to find the heroes and the former villains together, since four of the six super teenagers were couples.

Unfortunately, before Buttercup could say “please”, Miss Goody Two-Shoes intervened.

“You’re not going to punch anyone. We’re in school, show some respect for the academic environment”

The Green Puff just rolled her eyes at this standard response.

“Well, they’re not showing much respect at the moment, Sis”, Bubbles counterpointed, casting a look of disapproval at the table from which some whispers departed.

“They’re really… _inconvenient_ ”, the blond Puff counterpart emphasized, after looking in the same direction as her.

“They’re being fucking jerks”, the Red Ruff said out loud and received a hard look from the pink-eyed girl by his side. “What? It’s the truth”

“Even so, we must not lose our heads. Attention it’s what they want, then let’s not give it to them”, Blossom said matter-of-factly.

“So? We’ll just let these morons say whatever they fucking want?!”, Butch had decided to ignore the "don’t lose your cool" part.

“Yes. They'll tire themselves eventually”, the redhead took another bite of the apple she had in hand. “But, I think you guys can file a complaint with the school board”

“Too much trouble. Ain’t worthy”, Buttercup answered, while trying to block comments from her ears.

Overall, Buttercup just didn’t want their relationship to be the subject of scrutiny by others. Now, with the cat out of the bag, she doubted whether it was possible. Maybe eventually they would get tired, like her sister said. Well, she damn hoped that would be the case or she’d lose her head and end up in front of the school board for another reason.

A loud sign indicating the end of the break rang throughout the school and even though the brunette ate little, she wasn’t hungry. This detail, however, didn’t pass unnoticed by Butch, who held her by the wrist as she got up. The rest of the group was already moving towards their classes, engaged in another random conversation.

“Hey, wanna grab something at Joe’s after school?”

Joe’s was the old diner they liked to hang out at, the place was a combination of tacky décor and more combinations of burger toppings than necessary. But, to Buttercup, Joe’s had the best lemon meringue pie on Earth, and she really could use a slice of this delicious dessert on this really fucking bad day.

“Ok, sure”

After a quick and light touch of lips between them - something they were trying to keep in this new relationship – the pair went to their respective classes. The uncomfortable whispers subsided during that period and soon the school time ended.

The Puff went to her locker and placed the books inside (she never took them home anyway, homework was something she did at school, in a hurry, minutes before delivering it). Too busy emptying her backpack, she barely noticed the presence of some classmates.

Once again, they were there. The noise around her had returned.

_“Hey, let’s stop it. She has a **temper** ”_

The moment that word sounded in her ears, she remembered who she was. She was Buttercup Utonium, the girl who doesn’t take shit from anyone. Especially from fucking obnoxious high schoolers.

“You disrespectful fucktard, I don’t have a _temper_ ”, she hissed that word loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear, without looking back.

“But I do”, Butch’s voice came from behind her back.

The girl turned to face her boyfriend, who had a threatening face. His green eyes were fierce, glowing, like those of a killer, as he glared to the pair of gossipers. She hadn’t seen that dead serious expression in a long time, which made the hair on her arms stand up.

“And if I hear any more comments you can be sure I’ll make you fucking regret it”, the words came out loud and clear for everyone around them to hear.

After this threat beyond scary, he turned to Buttercup and smiled as if nothing had happened.

“Are you done, BC?”, he asked her in a much lower and kinder tone.

She was a little dumbfounded by that reaction, thus the delay in answering him. Shocking her head lightly to the sides, in an attempt to wake up and get out of her own circle of thoughts, the girl answered with a nod and a soft “yes”.

He took the girl’s right hand and guided her outside the school. The weather was getting cold and the impact of the temperature change made her shiver a little.

Still following in silence, Butch put his girlfriend’s cold hand in his sweatshirt pocket as they walked. They could fly there, but she always chose not to, since walking beside him brought a comfort and sense of normality to Buttercup, and that was an unusual, but nice, feeling for her. It made her feel warm, just like the hand that held hers.

“Man, it’s getting cold”, he murmured in a way that left the comment on the air, without requiring a response or the beginning of a conversation.

Butch was like that sometimes. Even with a few outbursts, a grotesque, and straightforward vocabulary (much like hers), the girl felt that he had an unrecognized ability to pick things up and being able to understand even the things that aren’t quite spoken.

Anyway, she decided to talk.

“How was your day?”

“Boring. Long. Yours?”

“Same”

A few more steps, another short period of silence.

“I feel that I should ask, but be honest Butters, no bullshit”, he said as he watched her reaction from the corner of his eye. “How are you feeling?”

She inhaled the air and exhaled it heavily.

“Awful”

He scoffed at the half-answer.

“Give me more details that I can work it, Butters”

The Puff bit her lower lip slightly, debating internally whether to tell him everything she felt. Should she vent the rage she had held throughout the day?

Even though lying, changing the subject, or simply not talking were an option, she knew it would upset him. And one thing she discovered since she started dating him was that his annoyance was hers, too. Oh, these damn feelings.

“I can see the wheels turning in your head. Don’t think, just say it”

If the motive wasn’t, well, ridiculous, maybe she would’ve talked by now. It was an insecurity that she was fully aware that it wasn’t really relevant to anyone other than herself.

Besides, Buttercup knew Butch and his debauched personality. He would probably make fun of her and she would feel worse before he repented. But, by then, the damage would already be done.

“It’s just… it’s stupid. You’ll mock me”

At that remark, her boyfriend snickered.

“Babe, you’ve been with me for years. You know that I’ll make fun of you no matter what”

Silence.

He sighed loudly and said, this time more seriously. "Look, if this is really important to you, I swear I will try to hold my tongue"

The Puff tightened the boy’s hand and they stopped walking. Now, he looked into her eyes, as if to convey the sincerity in his words.

"Do you promise to make fun of me only later?"

“Yes”

Buttercup swallowed dry. Almost as if she had swallowed her pride altogether, for admitting weaknesses was not her thing. So, she locked away the thoughts that whispered that she shouldn’t say anything and decided to answer him as truthfully as she could.

“I don’t like the comments about my height”, she blurted out, feeling her face warm with embarrassment. “I know it’s dumb, I know I shouldn’t care, and I don’t, for most of the time. But…”

She paused for a split second and Butch did not interrupt her, quietly waiting as an incentive for her to continue.

“But when a lot of people talk about it at the same time it’s exhausting, you know? And I hate myself for being self-conscious about that”

Noticing how she was sounding like a sentimental idiot, the girl laughed at herself and looked down.

“It’s funny. I kind of expected some buzz, seeing what happened to our siblings before. But I thought they would talk more about how you’re a former super-villain and shit rather than these stupid comparisons”

When she turned her gaze to the Green Ruff, she realized that he laughed aloud, almost hysterically. Now she was pissed.

“What the fuck are you laughing about it?!”

He was still laughing in a light way as he resumed to talk.

“How do you think I spent my fucking day, Butters? Really, you just focused on what bothered you, but they talked so much about that shit”

The girl stared at him wide-eyed. She was really thinking and talking most about just her, wasn’t she? That was so self-centered; those students were talking so much that she ended up filtering only the comments that, in fact, bothered her and ignored the rest. Of course, his day had been as bad as hers had.

“What did they said?”, Buttercup’s question came out more violent than she had anticipated.

The idea that someone, who wasn’t her, had spoken insults to her lover deeply disturbed her.

“Some stupid shit that I don’t even care to remember”, he shrugged, but then frowned, as he remembered something unpleasant. “Well, I almost broke the face of a jackass in the PE class. He commented that I won you over through some scheme or sex”

The girl’s blood boiled and gloominess gave space to anger.

“What?! Who said that?! I’m gonna kill this sucker!”

He tried to contain her sudden agitation by holding both of the girl’s hands. Butch opened a gentle smile, looking rather happy to see her getting mad for him.

“It’s ok. I broke his nose in an _accident_ during the basketball game”

She couldn’t help but laugh. Imagine when Blossom learns of this. So much for the “respect for the school environment”.

“An accident, huh”

“Yeah, his nose got in the way of my elbow. It happens. Anyway, my point is, I know it can get annoying, I know when many people talk all the time about something that hurts or bothers us is annoying, believe me, _I know_ , but you shouldn’t care about those assholes”

Butch wrapped her neck with his right arm and brought her close, which made her face red as a tomato.

“You are fine just the way you are, and if anyone says otherwise I will break their nose”, he said with confidence, looking into her eyes.

She almost felt moved by his words. Almost. Because then he opened a wide grin and said. “And I kinda like that you’re small. It’s a cool obstacle when I want to kiss you. I like challenges”

Buttercup could feel a vein in her forehead throbbing.

"What the- You had to screw this up, huh?"

Butch leaned forward, getting closer to her face and causing her to try stretching her neck back and get some distance. She narrowed her eyes, staring at him with suspicion.

"See? Look how much I have to lean just to reach you! It’s almost a trip"

“I don’t fucking need _you_ to reach for _me_ ”, she said between gritted teeth, clenching her hands so tight that her fingernails bit into her palms. The knuckles of her right hand were warm, probably because she desperately wanted to punch him.

“Well, clearly you can’t come up here without using your powers, _shorty_ ”

The boy’s smile lasted for a few more seconds, soon he was wearing a grimace of pain when she kicked him in the shin. This made him lean a little more, so that his hands reached the part of the leg that, now, hurt.

Holding his weight on to his other leg, which had not been hit, he raised his head, ready to mock her again, swear and even fight (perhaps not in that order). But, like always, he lost his track of thoughts when she kissed him. He put his suspended foot on the ground and soon his hands found their way to the girl’s waist.

A small sigh of dissatisfaction escaped Butch’s throat when, after a slight bite in the boy’s lower lip, Buttercup pulled away and opened a cunning smile.

“See? I can make us the same size like this”

The Ruff clicked his tongue, making a “tsk” loud enough for her to hear and realize that he didn’t approve the end of the previous action.

“You could’ve just floated or pulled me by the shirt”

“Oh, believe me, _I know_ , but you deserved that kick”

The ex-villain murmured a "and you said you didn't have a temper", which she promptly ignored.

Buttercup grabbed his hand on hers and started to pull him, as they walked, hand in hand.

“Come on! You promised me a pie!”

“I didn’t promise you shit”, even with the rude words, he wouldn’t stop smiling when he moved an arm over her shoulders.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the diner. Butch bought her a lemon meringue pie.

The shorty always got what she wanted from him.


	4. Last Lies

_“'Cause you disappeared into the world without telling me. And now I was a fool to ask: what will life make of me?”_

_— João e Maria, Chico Buarque._

He should have seen it coming. She was like that since childhood, someone who treasured life so much but would easily die for others. As if the concept that life was sacred applied only to others, never to herself. Her very existence, when in favor of another, disposable.

Isn’t that just fucking perfect? “The peak of humanity greatest act of selfless”. A _brave death_.

At least, that’s what he heard during the longs funeral speeches, filled with euphemisms to treat death and magnify the motive, in that day that seemed to be endless.

His super-hearing caught the tick-tock of his wristwatch, which served as a reminder that, although his body was immobilized, time continued to pass. Never-ending. Oblivious to everything and everyone.

Now, standing in one of the corners of the city’s events square, while observing that sequence of posthumous eulogies from authorities, he couldn’t help but go over the last few minutes with her.

That was stupid. He knew. It’s not like the last few minutes define all the other hours, days, years, with her but there is something very profound, powerful, and unsetting in the last moments that we share with other people without being aware of it. Butch was discovering this now, when there was nothing left to do but remember her, as a desperate attempt to engrave her voice, personality, and form in his mind.

Apparently, the last words are the ones that stand out the most in the ocean of exchanged conversations.

 _“I’m not asking your opinion on this, Butch. That’s my job”_ , she said already putting the jacket. The heroine stopped, and, as if she regretted sounding so harsh, then whispered in a softer tone. _“It’ll be quickly”_.

Her last words had been a _lie_. Maybe she really believed them. Too bad it wasn’t true.

She walked through the door of their apartment, leaving him behind, before they could quarrel again. Their TV was still on and the program, which until then was being broadcast, interrupted to make way for the breaking news, announcing the attack of an extremely powerful and evil being.

Butch felt a bitter taste go up his throat until it filled his mouth. The guilt started tearing through his chest. Soon, the "I should have" series started.

_"I should’ve stopped her from going. I should’ve insisted a long time ago for her to leave the hero work behind. I should’ve gone with her"_

In fact, they were fighting about the “lone-hero” thing just before she left.

With Blossom studying at a college in another city and Bubbles deciding to focus on nursing school and thus having less time to spare fighting for the city, Buttercup, after many conversations with the mayor (who, Butch was very aware of, wanted to avoid having to massively invest in technology to fight monsters) decided to stay in town and fight alone.

The Green Puff never complained, never asked him to help either – perhaps, because deep down she knew that the only reason for him to stay in that city, that repudiated him for the past whenever it could, was her.

However, she hid her own sacrifice from everyone.

When her sisters, father, friends, questioned how she was doing, the young woman would open a singing smile and say, _"just peachy”_. But she could not hide from Butch the increasing injuries for not having someone to watch her back, or the tiredness of the long days of "normal" work and sleepless nights on patrols, much less her internal desires to have continued her studies.

If someone asked, she would brazenly deny it. _“I was terrible at school. It’s better this way. Blossom is so smart, Bubbles is really hard worker, I must stay in their place and do what I do best and that’s beating up bad guys and beasts, and I love it”_. Those words came out as a decorating mantra, the justification she would believe it herself at some point, if she kept repeating it.

The Green Ruff, on the other hand, disagreed. He was always pointing out that she did well in subjects that interested her and that there was no one who worked harder than she did. As if she suddenly remembered her responsibilities, the woman would laugh off and dismiss his words with a movement of hands.

On that fateful day, just before she disappeared into the battle, he had shouted at her. _"Our discussion is not over! You’re killing yourself, BC, and don’t think I’ll stay here to watch!"_.

At the end of the day, he stayed to watch.

He had never considered the possibility of her end up having to give up her own life to take the enemy down. The Greens didn’t consider draws victories. But a "defeat" like that? To die like that? Being hit on purpose only to get to the leader, and dying like a wimp? Her? The toughest fighter?

A circle of toxic and vicious thoughts began, and the man could not contain them. He felt he wouldn’t be able to do it neither during the ceremony nor afterward.

Then, a hand landed on his shoulder, so gently that it was almost imperceptible. Butch looked over and noticed the presence of his blond brother.

“Hey, we’re going to the Utonium’s. Do you want to come along?”

Honestly, he didn’t want to. That day had already been too tiring, his soul has been dragged through the mud and now a feeling of exhaustion took over his whole body. However, his lover had stated several times, more with actions than words, that she loved her family and he supposed that she would want him to at least make sure they were being taken care of. Therefore, he nodded his head in affirmation.

Along with Boomer and Brick, who were standing next to the pink and blue Puffs, he went to his girlfriend’s old residence. As soon as the group put their feet inside the house, Bubbles burst into tears (she was holding it all that time, due to the TV cameras) and hurried to her former room upstairs, Boomer followed her.

Blossom turned to the boys, visibly destroyed, with deep dark circles under her eyes and her skin looking paler than ever, her voice was like a whisper, "I think my father will be here soon… make yourself at home".

Then she began to wander around the room, lost, as if she could not record what to do next. Brick sighed and sat on the couch as he watched her stop in front of the living room window and stare at the landscape outside.

Butch went to the kitchen and started making chamomile tea since he knew the disposition of things in that place. That was what he decided to do to occupy his mind and hands; in addition, he used to make tea for Buttercup when she was in a stressful situation, a warm and comforting cup of tea. Maybe her sisters would also appreciate the gesture.

He managed to pick up some whispers around the house. His brothers must have been trying to comfort the girls. The Green sighed relieved, since he would not know how to do that, better leave this task to their partners.

A few minutes passed, Butch heard the front door open and close. Soft voices echoed from the room, and he assumed that Antonio Utonium had returned and now tried to console his daughter.

Putting the hot drink into four cups, he went to the living room where he found father and daughter in a further corner, talking in low voices. The professor was hiding his daughter’s small body with its back to him, which led the Ruff to believe he was embracing her.

His eyes fell on his brother, standing close to the window. Brick seemed to reflect on the best course of action to help his girlfriend cope with the loss. Always analyzing, always trying to find the best solution for everything, as if all things had a solution.

Butch now knew that some things are just shit, with no solution but to wait for all to pass.

“Here”, he handed two cups to the redhead, who took it right away. “The other one is for her when they’re done”, and he pointed to Blossom’s direction.

If the circumstances were different, there was no doubt that his brother would mock him for having such a sensitive side.

“Thanks”

The dark-haired one just shrugged and muttered a "don’t mention", before silently moving to upstairs. However, before he knocked on the blonde Puff’s door, he could still hear the hiccups on the other side. Suddenly her voice sounded hard and much louder than usual.

“You just don’t get it, Boomer!”

Bubbles never called his brother “ _Boomer_ ”. Usually, it was Boom-Boom, Boomie, Boo, or another ridiculously sweet nickname, to the point of causing diabetes. That was a sign that she was angry or serious, maybe both.

“She was _my_ sister, and I knew I shouldn’t have left her to deal with everything alone. Still, I let her”, the sadness weighed in her voice. ”You know what’s even worse? I did it not because I was one hundred percent sure she could handle it all on her own, but because I wanted to convince _myself_ she could!”

It was a breathtaking silence.

The Green Ruff, who until then was very still in front of the door, realized that his brother couldn’t find the right words to say, so he decided to intervene. Knocking lightly and not expecting an answer, he entered the woman’s room.

Bubbles, trying to hide her crying face, frantically wiped her eyes with her hands.

“I brought tea”, he reported it clumsy, while delivering drinks to the “crying-free” blonde.

“Thank you, bro”, Boomer opened a small, awkward smile.

Changing his body weight from one leg to the other, uncertain, Butch spoke again.

"She wouldn’t want that”

The woman faced him, visibly confused by the feelings and thoughts that were probably preventing her from seeing things clearly at the time.

“W-what?”

“The whole guilty thing. Don’t do it. Butters would probably say to you face forward and be brave, or something like that, maybe with some cursing words in between”

Although he felt intrusive, like, _who the hell he think he was to tell her what to feel or think at that moment?_ At the same time, that would really be what Buttercup would want her to hear. Moreover, with him externalizing it in words, maybe he could absorb that truth as well.

Butch also felt guilty.

Being sad was inevitable. However, feeling responsible for her choices wasn’t. In fact, it was dishonoring her memory. Although it was very difficult to get rid of the guilty feeling, he knew it that very well.

Once, she said to him: _“I won’t whine like and baby. I will always bear responsibility for my choices, so don’t you dare feel sorry for me”_. So he never felt it.

Buttercup was the strongest, most determined woman who ever walked this earth and nothing would make him think otherwise.

He couldn’t look Bubbles in the eye, so he stared at the ground. The lack of response made him regret talking. _“Crap, why did I opened my mouth?”_ , he thought.

Until a faint laugh rang low across the room and he raised his head. Bubbles, who still had tears in her eyes, had a small and gentle smile on her mouth.

“That’s true, Buttercup would say something like that”

As she went to the bathroom to wash her face, the woman seemed calmer. Boomer turned to his brother, still worried but also grateful.

“Thanks, Butch”

“For what?”

“The words. I didn’t know what to say to comfort her and it was killing me, but you even managed to make her smile a little”

He could imagine that the situation could be difficult for both of his brothers. Although they did not have a very close relationship with Buttercup, they loved their girlfriends, and seeing them in grieve must be very painful. For Boomer, it was exceptionally hard, because for such a warm, loving, and talkative young adult not finding words of comfort was a sign that he was at loss.

“You don’t need to say anything now, Boom. Just...”, he sighed, “stay by her side, okay?”

Done with all the mushy talk, Butch left his brother, still sitting in Bubbles' bed, and returned to the kitchen, wondering if he could leave already.

Although his head knew he was going through a terrible loss, he still didn’t seem to have assimilated it. Shouldn’t he have already started to cry? To despair? Butch could feel the mental and physical exhaustion, but even with the strangeness of hearing everyone referring to her in the past, his grief had not yet begun.

Perhaps he would feel the full impact when he arrived at his home and realized that she was not there. That she would never be there again.

If he closed his eyes, he could see it his loneliness taking the form of an empty room and that alone was hard enough to bear. A frighteningly, quiet and heavy air crushing their house forever, the absence of the female laughter and the smell of strong coffee she made every morning. He should prepare himself for the heartaches to come.

Walking into the kitchen, he ran into one of the last people he wanted to see.

Professor Utonium turned to face him. Strangely, it was like staring into a mirror, because the man in front of him had not yet given himself up to pain completely, certainly because of his other daughters. They were both bottling up their feelings.

“Oh, I saw you made tea for the others. That’s very thoughtful of you”

Butch froze. For various reasons, he felt uncomfortable with those words.

First of all, the Professor had NEVER praised him and the Ruff could swear that the relationship he disapproved of the most was his with Buttercup. Boomer was clearly the favorite, Brick he tolerated, but Butch... at every family meeting, Antonio barely spoke to him or even recognized his presence in the room. It wasn’t that he didn’t expect it, after all, the Green Ruff was the most violent of the brothers and the Professor was a well-known pacifist. Not a good combination.

But the reason that weighed the most for the current unpleasantness was: he had not protected Buttercup. He had failed. Why was this man thanking him for making this crappy tea?

“It was nothing. No need to thank me”

“On the contrary. I haven’t been very fair to you, haven’t I?”, the older man used a warm tone, one he had never used to address him. “I judged you in a harsher way than the others”

“What?”, Butch stuttered, genuinely confused. A confession like that was totally unexpected.

“I judged all of you when my girls told me about their relationships. Nevertheless, I feel like I've held onto your past more. Maybe because I thought that you, in particular, weren't right for my Buttercup”

Another moment of silence. They were filling the day, or so it seems.

The Green Ruff wondered where the elder was going with this conversation, but, also, he was always curious to know the reasons for his disapproval, so the young man held his tongue and said nothing. Now that Buttercup had left this world forever and they no longer had a reason to interact, it was time to take what was heaving them out of their chests.

“I wished she’d choose someone with a different personality than hers, you know? Less abrasive, more level-headed. But I suppose that a person like that wouldn’t last by her side. She wanted someone who understood her, who was as strong as she was. Someone like you”

Professor Utonium glanced towards the tea over the stove and opened a tiny smile.

“And, from what I see, being tough doesn’t invalidate your gentle heart. I should’ve known that, after all, she was like that too”

Now facing the former villain in front of him, his countenance sustained no indifference, or anger, nor hatred, only gratitude.

“Thank you for loving and staying by my daughter’s side until the end, Butch”

The Ruff closed his fists and began to face the floor, as if the shame he felt weighed on his eyes and made it impossible for him to raise his gaze.

“I don’t deserve these words, sir”

The young man’s breath became more frantic from the stress, though he tried to control it. His instinct told him to get out of there, because soon his feelings would resurface like a tsunami and he couldn’t contain them.

“How so?”, Antonio’s voice sounded gentle, compelling him to continue.

Butch didn’t want to trouble him with his grief and guilt, for the man before him was a father who had just lost his daughter. However, he also felt the need to ask for forgiveness.

“I told you I would take care of her, but I couldn’t. I _lied_ ”, feeling more exposed and weak than ever before, Butch finally managed to face the Professor and, for the first time that day, his eyes filled with tears. “I failed you. I failed her. I’m sorry”

Utonium seemed stunned by the unusual display of weakness. Moved by the feelings of compassion and empathy, he approached his "son-in-law" and laid a hand on his shoulder, in a warm and assuring gesture that everything would be fine.

“Why are you sorry? You don't need to apologize, boy. You did your best.”

 _But it wasn’t enough, so it was a lie_. It was the only thing he could think of.

“I thought I had it, but now I don’t. I could’ve done more, help her more”, with every word spoken, he felt more pathetic – or maybe it was the effect of tears, since he couldn’t remember the last time he cried, especially in front of someone else.

“Did my daughter asked for your help?”, the Professor questioned him calmly.

“Well, no, but-“

The second question, which cut the boy’s line in half, sounded amused, but it was definitely rhetorical.

“Then, do you think she would let you help?”

In the look they exchanged, there was a silent agreement that Buttercup Utonium would never do that.

“Look, _son_ , you did the most important thing. You were by her side until the end. You could have left a long time ago, or not even stayed from the beginning. But you always chose her”

Suddenly, Butch wished to disengage himself from the comforting words addressed to him.

 _“You’re killing yourself, BC, and don’t think I’ll stay here to watch!”_. Those were the last words she heard from him, a stupid warning that he would not stay with her.

“I told her I wouldn't stay”, the young man admitted in a low voice as he felt his mouth dry. “And there's nothing I can ever do to take that words back. Then don’t thank me, sir”

“Oh, but I’ll thank you. Because, you see, I don’t think you mean it. You cared about her, didn’t you? Isn’t that why you said it? I’m sure my daughter knew that too, so don’t beat yourself up”

After hearing those words, a sharp pain went through the man’s chest, and before he knew it, tears started escaping through his green eyes. Butch tried to hide them with his right hand, but it was of little use.

Antonio embraced him in a parental way, and the young man could feel the support he longed for without knowing.

“Everything will be fine, but until then just keep holding on. Persevere”

That’s what Antonio said, as if he were talking to one of his daughters. Even though Butch did not feel a lot of conviction in his words, he wanted to believe in them. Or, at last, he wanted to believe. So he agreed with a slight nod.

Time would go by and he would keep repeating this lie to himself, that “everything would be alright”, hoping that one day, he would really feel okay or until he meets with Buttercup again and be able to say that he lied.

He would never leave her side. Never. No matter what.


	5. Summer Bites

_“My mysteries are yours. In the morning I wait for the night, and at night, I wait for tomorrow to arrive”_

_—Tarde Livre,_ Selvagens à Procura de Lei _._

“Hey! Bubs, did you see Buttercup?”, the red-haired Puff asked the blonde one in front of the fan of the living room.

“Nope, I think she must be hiding in some cold corner. If there is any in this heat.”

 _That’s odd_.

Of the three sisters, Buttercup was the one that hated extreme heat the most. Blossom could control her body’s temperature exchange with the environment, so she didn’t care about the weather. Bubbles just felt bored most of the time, although, overall, she got over it when she went to the beach with Boomer.

But the Green Puff was another case entirely. She said she hated the excessive heat because she felt tired all the time or didn’t felt like doing anything at all, besides she sweated too much during the daily workouts. “It’s the worst!”, that was her constant complaint.

Therefore, during the summer, it was common to find the brunette at home until sunset, when she went out to exercise.

However, Buttercup was nowhere to be found, and this was not the first time her sister had disappeared despite the sun being at the highest point in the sky and awfully bright. When Bubs or Butters came out of their pattern of behavior, she got suspicious.

Blossom liked to think she knew her sisters like her own mind. However, she had to admit, as time went on, Buttercup became more complicated to unravel. It seemed like she was changing too much and too fast, so it was hard to keep up with her.

Now, apparently, she left home even on the hottest days and came back late. Besides, she seemed calmer, which was disturbing. That change in her attitude was perceived not only by Blossom, but also by all the residents of the Utonium household.

 _Was her sister okay? Had some villain attacked her? Maybe she was replaced?_ These thoughts inhabited her head until late afternoon, when the target of such questions finally arrived.

"Where were you?" Blossom quickly questioned, almost jumping out of her seat, unable to contain the anxiety.

"Oh, hi to you too and, uh, _out_ , obviously"

Her sister responded in an almost sarcastic but still amusing manner and, after kicking her shoes into a corner of the room as she always did, went to the kitchen to fetch some cold water.

Already wearing her "leader shoes", the pink eyes began to look for clues as she leaned against the doorframe. The black and short hairs were stuck to the back of her neck, evidencing that until recently she had sweated a lot – perhaps because of the sun or because she flew home.

Her lips were slightly swollen, nothing new, since the girl had a habit of biting them. Albeit, it was _curious_ to see them only red and not cut, as they usually were after being caught between her teeth.

When Blossom’s gaze fell on a mark that appeared only partially (due to her crop top with loose turtleneck collar) something clicked in her head and suddenly everything made sense.

“I guess the question I should have asked was _who you were with_ , huh?”

If the girl’s eyes weren’t precise, maybe she would have lost the millisecond Buttercup stopped. But, as usual, she recovered the missing ball and collected herself enough to roll her eyes.

“You’re imagining things, maybe it’s the heat”

Defensive posture. Blossom was expecting this.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

“You see, Bloss, the point is that you shouldn’t have asked anything”, the brunette put the cup she held in the sink and began to stare at her sister, “it’s hot and I wanted to go out and enjoy, that’s all”

“Buttercup, I know you weren’t alone and you’ve been acting weird for a while. The fact that you don’t want to tell me who you’re seeing just worries me even more”

“Why do you need to know so much? Don’t you trust me?”, she sounded offended and her eyes narrowed, as if the one being evaluated now was the redhead.

“Of course I do. I just wanted to know, can’t I?”

“We’re twin sisters, not siamese. There’s no need for you to know every detail of my life. It’s no big deal”

The Puffs leader sighed. That was the expected result. It was hard to get information about Buttercup’s life when she didn’t want to share it. Yet she was her sister, and so Blossom worried about her, even when the Green hero didn’t ask for it.

“You don’t let anyone in. You know that, eventually, me, Bubbles and the Professor are gonna find out whatever you’re doing, right? And you can tell us. We won’t judge you”

Realizing her intentions, Buttercup laughed, assuming a more relaxed posture and trying to assure her that all was well.

“Bloss, I’m not in trouble”

“Ok, I’m just saying”

“Ok”

In this little staring contest, Bubbles showed up at the door.

“Oh, Buttercup, do you want to- OH. MY. GOD! What’s that on your neck?!”, the blonde asked while pointing at her.

“Bug bite”, the Green Puff didn’t even stutter, as she just passed her sisters and went upstairs.

* * *

Buttercup knew that her sister would have found out at some point. Yet, even Blossom had been slow to notice anything.

She didn’t let anyone in? Well, the damn problem was that she HAD let one person in. And that person was an idiot.

As soon as Buttercup entered her room, she started texting the _Dummy_.

“Hey, dumbass. I told ya to NOT leave a mark”

**“U weren’t saying anything while I was doing it, tho”**

The girl rolled her eyes. Lying face down, with elbows resting on the bed, she rolled to the side and took a more comfortable position as she prepared for an argument.

“I told you _not_ to do it B4”

**“It’s a love mark”**

She muffled a laugh and soon tried to return her serious face. It was obvious that he would say this, but she still found amusing when he said it so openly.

“It’s a fucking disaster”, she typed.

**“A little dramatic, ain’t you? C’mon, it's going to fade it away”**

“Bloss already caught it, she ain’t dumb”

**“So? Let her know, idc”**

He was saying that again. Buttercup bit her lower lip gently while remembering what he had said to her earlier. The boy wanted to reveal their relationship and make it public. She, on the other hand...

“But I CARE!”

**“Why?”**

“Idk. I think she’s going to freak out”

“Not even Bubs told her she’s dating your brother, even tho it’s obviously”

**“Are you scared of Pinky?”**

“WTH?”

**“Ohhh, you’re scared”**

The grip on her phone got tighter. That little-

“I.AM. NOT. SCARED!!! Ok?!”

“I just don’t wanna hear her and the Professor talking endlessly in my hear”

**“U think they’ll ask you to break up with me?”**

“Idk”

She really didn’t know. It’s one thing for you to say you won’t judge, another one it's to react after receiving all the information. Buttercup was certain that Bubbles would probably take her side, but it was only because she had Boomer herself. Blossom and the Professor were her biggest concern.

Blossom hated the Ruffs and her father didn’t trust the boys either. Even so, here she was, in a romantic relationship with Butch for months. Her counterpart and the most violent of the Ruffs.

**“If they ask, will you?”**

“No”

The reply was so quick, that the girl was sure that he was smirking in that shameless and rather silly way, which she knew so well. Her imagination didn’t stop there. She imagined him for a moment longer, with his hair messy and still shirtless, sitting on his bed with the cellphone in hand. Hell, she should stop imagining things.

“Just don’t leave any marks”

**“No can do, Butters”**

**“It’s summer, so, kisses on the skin = inevitable”**

**“Even more so when you wear shorts and sleeveless shirts”**

**“U look extra-hot ;)”**

“I see. I’ll buy repellent then”

**“I wouldn’t do that if I were you”**

“Why?”

**“If you do that you won’t b able to tell them it’s a bug bite”**

**“and only God knows what another bad excuse u’ll use”**

“So just stop doing it!!”

**“Nope”**

“U’re a terrible BF”

**“Nah. U love me”**

**“and I know u like my bites too”**

Buttercup felt the heat rising to her face, remembering how that mark appeared on her neck for starters. If she weren’t so uneasy talking to her family about their relationship, she would surely surrender more easily to these _harsher_ making out sessions.

Perhaps she was a little afraid of the reaction of her relatives after all, but she would not admit it.

“srsly, Butch, try to avoid leaving marks for now”

“I’ll talk to them soon”

**“kay”**

When she began to doubt how easily he agreed, another message arrived.

**“btw, sometimes mosquitoes bite regions that aren’t visible”**

She couldn't help but smile at her screen. Of course, he would not give up easily, especially when it comes to the possibility of increasing physical contact between them – which the Ruff had already shown to be a great supporter of. Nevertheless, her reply was expected.

“Butch”

“No”

**“Let’s see if your answer remains the same tomorrow, Butterbabe”**

Damn. Something inside her says she really should think in another excuse to use, otherwise, her sisters would think that mosquitoes are attacking her. Big ones.

“Fuck it, it’s summer”, she said under her breath.

“Wtv”

“But if my dad tries to kill you with any of his inventions, you’ll have to deal with it”

**“Cool”**

**“I ain't afraid of ur old man”**

“That’s a lie and you know it”

**“I AIN’T AFRAID OF ANYONE!! WHO U THINK I AM?”**

“An idiot”

**“shut ur pie hole”**

“Hey, I’m gonna take a shower”

“Talk later?”

**“Sure, babe”**

Placing the top of the phone on her lips, the girl tried - in vain - to hide the corners of her mouth raised up. This had become her instantaneous reaction when talking to Butch. She felt like her body was light, as if floating in the clouds. Serene. Even inclined to forgive the way he coiled her, leading her in conversation and soothing her anger.

Of course, this feeling came "floating" out the window when she took off her blouse in front of the bathroom mirror and, for the first time, saw the mark that her boyfriend had left.

A red embossed mark, with some purple dots. Not so big, nor was it minuscule. Mosquito bite? As if! There’s no way an insect did that. Clearly, he had ignored her warnings.

And that’s how Buttercup decided to run a bug-spraying service for tall, dark-haired, annoying mosquitoes in the Ruffs' apartment.


	6. Sleepless Nights

_"I don’t know how good the world is. But he’s better now that you’re here"_

_— Espatódea_ , Nando Reis

For the fifth time this week, Butch had been up till 2h00 in the morning. Before, the reason for this delay in falling asleep were parties, but now was different. And he didn’t mind it.

The Ruff had changed a lot since he was a kid, even more so from his's wild teenage years. At twenty-seven, he was finally able to control his temper, had a steady job in the city’s mechanical workshop, the relationship with his brothers had also improved since the end of the group as super-villains and the "ranking" between them.

But, the biggest source of his happiness and peace of mind came from his long-time girlfriend. Buttercup.

His Babe. His Butterfly. His _Lover_. He still felt a bit of little honey in his tongue when using these titles.

It’s known throughout Townsville that she is the most temperamental and "sour" of the Uttonium sisters. However, even with the changes that come with maturity, he always considered her name appropriate, even before her changes. What other people think was never important to him.

She’s _sweet_ , after all.

The deal with Buttercup is that she’s a straightforward, but never cruel, type of person; the kind that love most with actions, and doesn’t always express herself well, and many may not understand this. Yet, above all, she was loving and nurturing. But only with those who are close to her, and closing that distance is difficult.

Some days, he wondered how he had managed that.

Butch thought he couldn’t be happier. Still, exactly nine months and four days ago, he had received the news that his happiness would expand.

A day he would never forget.

It was a Friday, the weather was... okay, he didn’t remember the details, but who cares about this shit when your girl has been sick for days? He was so worried that he asked to leave early that day.

In fact, Butch didn’t want to go to work at all, knowing that Buttercup had scheduled a doctor’s appointment, but she insisted for him to go, since her sister would accompany her. The nerves led him to clean the whole house and cook a light supper.

At some point, he turned on the TV (just for the sake of the sound block his thoughts) and began to question the delay. Then, after a few missed calls, he started to entertain the possibility of going after her.

Just when he took his coat the door opened. Seeing her face paler than ever was not reassuring.

_“What? What is it? Is it serious?”_

Unconsciously, the warm male hands landed on her face, lifting a little so he could see her better.

 _“Please don’t be mad”_ , were the first shaking words that came out of her mouth.

_“Hey, hey. I will never be mad at you, especially for you being sick”_

_“I’m not sick”_

_“So, what’s the matter?”_

Suddenly he remembered she was out all day, probably she’s tired and scared now. While holding her hand, he guided her gently to the couch.

The quiet place and her fragile demeanor was alarming.

Although he wanted to press her further, he kept his mouth shut, still holding her cold hand and looking at her eyes tenderly. All his gestures tried to convert sincerity and affection.

 _“I… I…”_ , with her voice initially trembling and low, she seemed uncertain as to how to start speaking. _“I have something to tell you”_

_“Okay. I’m listening”_

_“Like I said, I’m not sick”_ , the woman reassured him, and after taking a deep breath, looking into his eyes, completed determined. _“I’m pregnant”_

Millions of thoughts went through his head at that moment.

The initial shock was brief. Anxiety came with uncertainty, followed by happiness (which lasted a long time), but the sadness soon emerged, as he faced the possibility that this was not something that Buttercup wanted. So he voided all his feelings and calmly spoke again.

_“And how do you feel about that?”_

Knowing her well, he soon noticed that she seemed to want to cry and it broke his heart.

 _“I don’t know”_ , she admitted. _“I was so afraid of what you were going to say that I didn’t think about it, and then I got scared of the whole situation”_

When mentioned, Butch stared at her confused.

_“You were afraid of my reaction? Why?”_

Bringing the legs up and hugging her own knees, the woman bit her lower lip.

_“We never talked about it. When the doctor spoke of... this. I realized I didn’t know your opinion”_

True. They were together since high school, but the subject: marriage, children, plans for their lives together, and the like, never were on the agenda. Maybe. No. Sure enough, that was the flaw in their relationship.

On Butch’s part, he simply did not want to burden her with these issues. Besides, it’s not like he has an opinion about it. Everything seemed so far from their reality, that he just didn’t think through.

But reality was punching them in the face, now.

_“Look, Butters. I want what you want, and whatever you decide to do, it’s what I’m gonna do”_

_“What? What do you mean?”_

_“I want to say that I won’t leave you alone, regardless of your decision”_

In the male voice, there wasn’t any uncertainty, while the eyes remained as affectionate as ever.

Buttercup licked her lower lip, red from being between her teeth for too long.

_“That’s sweet. But isn’t what I want to hear”_

_“And what would that be?”_

_“Your opinion”_ , she stated, staring him in the eye, as if looking for some trace of emotion. _“Are you happy? Sad? Scared?”_

That’s when it hit him.

She wanted an affirmation that he was, not only willing to have the child, but also happy, as something he wanted. Buttercup seemed to crave a positive reaction.

And, damn. He was happy.

 _“To tell you the truth…”_ , he showed her a bright smile. “ _I’m overwhelmed with joy. Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m also kinda scared. Having a kid seems like a challenging, but, when I imagine what he or she might look, my heart feels like it’s gonna explode”_

The sincere response was greeted with a hug. Buttercup’s arms surrounded Butch’s neck, which soon brought her closer by the waist.

 _“Are you sure that you’re happy?”_ , questioned the woman, with her voice muffled by her face being buried in his neck.

 _“I am!”_ , reinforced him, laughing. _“And you?”_

_“I am, now”_

Caressing her back in a circular manner, hoping that she would calm down completely, he soon assumed a worried face.

_“You need to eat something. You’ve been out all day. And, yeah, I’m gonna get on your case about your eating schedule and make it healthier than ever”_

_“Yes. Yes”_ , she said in a hasty manner, as always. _“Hey. I love you”_

That was the first time Buttercup ever said those words.

_“I love you too”_

And that was the first time he said those words too.

The child had not even come to this plan and was already changing everything. Butch already thought it was for the best.

Like this, his sleepless nights had begun.

Early in the pregnancy, it was mostly because of the concern he felt about Buttercup. The woman had lost a lot of weight because of her morning sickness and lack of appetite.

Then came the pain. Since he didn’t know what to do, Butch tried everything from massages to hot water bags, always standing by her and not allowing her to do any domestic chores (which she claimed was unnecessary, but to avoid discussion, she waited for him to leave home to do).

Finally, by the end of November, the wait was over. A perfectly healthy baby boy was born. They named him Blake.

However, Buttercup had suffered a lot to give birth, being in the hospital for four days. Butch was devastated. Once again, he couldn’t sleep, staying most of his time at the hospital with his family.

After being discharged, this would be Blake’s first night in his new home, and Buttercup’s return to their comfortable bed, away from the hospital room - when Blake was not in her arms, she had shown great irritation at being there.

The Ruff thought that, now that they were both home, safe, and perfectly healthy, his sleep cycle would return to normal. It didn’t happen exactly like that.

In the middle of the night, the thought that his son was home kept him awake. Silently on his tiptoe, not to awaken the woman who was sleeping next to him, he went to the nursery room at the end of the hall. Of course, the room’s theme color was light green and white.

He approached the cradle in the center of the place and began to observe the little human soundly asleep. The fact that this was his offspring mesmerized him.

Those pinky cheeks, neon green eyes and jet black hair. Lovely.

In seconds, many thoughts stroked his mind at once. How beautiful, perfect, but also defenseless and fragile his baby is. Uncertainty arose and brought many doubts to the young father.

Would he be able to be a good father? How could he protect this boy from this world that would already judge him for being his son?

Honestly, he could not use his own "father" as a model.

Mojo was far from being an acceptable father figure. Always making evil and wondrous plans and dragging him and his brothers into them, turning them into villains from very early on. Besides the fact that he cared little about their formal education or participate in important moments of their lives.

Now that he had stopped to think about it, perhaps he had never been seen as Mojo’s son, only a creation, a tool.

A mere hypothesis that Blake might feel that way made him nauseous. No. He would never feel used, like a mistake, neglected or pushed into a path he didn’t want to. Butch would make sure of that.

Still looking at the boy, he realized that he now moved more and seemed uncomfortable. With great care, Butch took Blake in his arms (like he had learned in the hospital), resting the baby’s head against his chest as he rocked him back to sleep.

“Hey, little one”, he murmured so low it was almost inaudible. “If I had a beautiful voice like your mother, I’d sing you a lullaby. But I don’t. So, I’m counting on the fact that you’re also my son, so maybe you’ll fall asleep when someone starts talking a lot”

The plan seemed to be working, because the child stopped moving, as if he recognized his father’s voice.

“I loved you from the moment I knew you existed, you know? You can brag about it, since there are only two people in this life that I love and you’re one of them. But don’t tell that to your uncle Boomer. He’s the ultra-sentimental type, you will get it in the long run”

A small laugh escaped through his lips. Another short moment, still making gentle and short moves with the sleeping boy.

“I feel like I should apologize to you already… For sure, I’ll make a lot of mistakes, and not having a role model shouldn’t be my excuse for it. But, you know, at least I can use Mojo as the model of what _not_ to do”

Once more, his look was tender.

“I don’t care about what you want to do in the future, whether you have extraordinary talents or not, if you’re attracted to a lot of people or none. Just know that I will support and love you unconditionally. My only wish is that you grow up healthy and more empathetic than I did”

“I expect the same thing”

Two arms wrapped around Butch’s waist from behind. Being so engrossed in his feelings, he had failed to notice the woman’s presence in the room before. Buttercup deposited a soft kiss on his right shoulder.

“Go back to bed. You need to rest”, although his concern was genuine, he took advantage of it to try to hide the shame of being discovered in the middle of a candid conversation with his newborn son.

“I slept for almost ten hours straight, I’m good”

She tightened her grip and kept quiet for a few seconds. Definitely, she had heard everything, and seemed apprehensive.

“I don’t know if I can be a good mother, either”, she admitted, resting her forehead in the center of his wide, firm back. “In the beginning, I felt terrible for the uncertain in my choice, then angry because of the pain of the process and ultimately weak, being bedridden for four days. But it was you who gave me strength”

“It was the least I could do”

“No. You went beyond every expectation. You always shared everything with me, but you didn’t have to take a share of my pain too. But you did. You assured me all along that everything would be fine. Thank you”

Butch adjusted his hold on his son with one arm and leaned the kid on his chest, just so he could wrap the free arm around the brunette waist. She laid one of her hands on Blake’s black hair, which was few but already apparent.

“Butters, you’ve made me a father. I never thought I would have someone by my side, who will say a son. You gave me a dream I didn’t even know I had. I should be thanking you”

She snorted in amusement at my remark.

“I dare you to repeat that in a few weeks when you won’t be able to sleep for days”

“I never cared for my sleep, anyway”

“Okay, Mr. Sappy”

One quick kiss (to not disturb the child in his arms), then he accommodated the baby on his crib again with Buttercup.

After looking at the clock on the wall, he realized it was almost four o'clock in the morning. So he didn’t look at his son again, before following his woman back to their room. If he did it, he feared he would be hypnotized again and spend the rest of his life watching his son - he was capable of it.

Buttercup was right. Now, there was no reason for that. There would be many sleepless nights.

Butch couldn’t wait for them.


	7. Saturday Visit

_“Today no one will ruin my day, I’m just gonna waste my energy kissing your mouth.”_

– _Céu Azul_ , Charlie Brown Jr.

There were many ways for Buttercup Utonium to spend her Saturday. Ever since she was little, she loved going to the park, play football, or just chill at home playing video games with friends, maybe kill some time at the training room that her father made for her and, of course, patrol the city.

However, she never would’ve imagined that she would spend a Saturday like this...

“Change that grim face, BC! It’s going to be fun!”, her blonde sister said with a smile, as they flew through the sky, already with some clouds in a quiet afternoon.

“Remind me again why I agreed to this?”

Bubbles just cast her a quick glance, and soon resumed the happy tone.

“Look, just think of it as a test for when he needs it to meet dad”

“That's never gonna happen”

Her sister laughed aloud as they landed.

“Okay. Sure”, and hurried to ring the bell;

The property in front of the girl was simple, with two floors and white. Boring and common, just like most of the buildings in Townsville. If she did not know its inhabitants, she would never imagine who lived in this place so blasé.

Boomer answered the door with a big smile. This was the Blue’s mark: big stupid smiles. But the passionate look on the blonde’s face directed to her sister made Buttercup try to contain her eye roll.

“Hi, Boomie”

“Hi, Beautiful”

And there they go, making those googly eyes to each other and ignoring the rest.

“I’m here too, you know, _Boomie_ ”, the remark was in a playful tone, while the girl was sinking both closed fists deep into the pockets of her oversized sweatshirt.

“Oh! Hey, Buttercup”, he seemed embarrassed for forgetting her presence but showed a smile in her direction too. “Come in”

The interior was relatively more interesting than the exterior. Decorated with black furniture, framed posters of films and characters known, colorful, but cohesively, that was much more the style of the boys who lived here.

Leaving the two lovebirds behind (in that dance of taking off the coat and putting it in the lobby, followed by a conversation she was definitely not interested in), Buttercup scoured the place with her eyes, trying not only to print in her memory, but it’s also finding who she was looking for. The living room had an open concept, with the kitchen counter in sight.

Sitting on the big sofa was the reason she had come here.

“Finally you’re here, you’re kinda slow for a Puff. Had a good flight?”

Unlike her sister, she had never been there. But, this didn’t discourage her from acting as if she were in her own home while sitting unceremoniously next to the boy.

“Bubs kept annoying me, I tried to fly faster, so don’t say I’m late and shit”

“I can see that. Your hair it’s a mess”, he touched her face, pulling away a few strands of her wavy short hair, tickling her cheeks in the process.

“You’ve started with your PDA already?”

The two pairs of green eyes turned toward the stairs where Brick was. Buttercup murmured a low and disgruntled “hi, Brick”.

“So this is what envy looks like? Hm, red and not green, interesting”

“I’m not jealous of you”, the boy answered and gestured his hand toward the couple.

“Oh, right”, Butch had that kind of smile that says: _I just have a hot girlfriend and you’re alone on a Saturday, but keep telling that to yourself_.

“Anyway, it’s time for me to go. Try not to break anything”

That was the second time in the week that he left like this and would probably return late. The Ruffs' leader passed Boomer and as soon as he was no longer in the house, Butch turned to his brother and said.

"Maybe he’s not so alone anymore"

“Why do you think that?”

“It’s more of a feeling”, he shrugged.

Tired of hearing this talk, the brunette rolled her eyes and took one of the snacks on the coffee table.

“Who cares about Brick’s dates? What are we watching today?”

“We tried to decide before you girls arrived, but we couldn’t, so we need to hear your opinion”, the boy next to her turned on the TV and soon put on the streaming platform.

“Well, I-“

“Nope. I’m not watching any horror movies”, the blonde Puff cut her quickly as she sat on the other couch next to her boyfriend.

“Okay, but I’m not gonna watch any cheesy romance either”

“It feels like I’m seeing the same argument again”, Butch grumbled, though he knew this one was coming.

Buttercup was to Bubbles what Butch was to Boomer, that is: _opposites_. While the blue couple loved "happy endings" with romance and tranquility, the green enjoyed action, adventure, and, of course, horror.

Facing a deadlock, they chose to " _escape by the tangent_ " and go with something from the comedy list. This led to Buttercup folding her arms and sinking in her place, questioning again, why she had agreed with this.

After all, she had just started dating Butch and her schedule hadn’t changed. In fact, they continue to act like they used to, playing online together and meeting at the school. The only real change, apart from physical contact, were their casual dates, which were mostly about going to the same park to talk and play football or skating.

Why the hell did she agree to this double date? This wasn't their thing.

“Don’t be like that. C’mon, it’s gonna be fun”

“You really think that?”, her eyebrow raised inquisitively.

“Well…”, sneakily, one of her arms wrapped around her waist and brought her close to him. "I don’t care much for the movie"

She stared at him with the corner of her eye but didn’t move. The boy never tried to make her think that his intentions weren't what it seemed, his wish to spend time with her was always too obvious.

“Hey, let’s turn out the lights”, Boomer suggested as he came from the kitchen with some drinks in hand.

“Fine by me”

Of course Butch would say that. Unlike his brother, he didn’t sound so innocent as his gaze fell onto his girlfriend.

“I don’t care”, Buttercup said and Bubbles agreed.

Soon, they were comfortable in their respective places. Boomer was practically lying down with his right arm over Bubbles, who was whispering to him. Buttercup had positioned herself between Butch’s legs, who stole some chips from the bag she had in hand from time to time.

To her surprise, the movie really was funny. There was a failed attempt on her part to contain a few laughs and use the back of her hand to stifle them. Sometimes, she could feel the vibration of the boy’s body laughing too, since her back was against his chest.

Buttercup was absorbed in the story in a way she had not predicted, so she failed to notice the hand that had landed on her thigh. Only when the said hand started to rise, giving her some goosebumps, she looked towards the Ruff.

" _What is it?_ " she questioned moving her lips and making no noise.

He bent and whispered so that only she could hear him. “I just love your laugh”

A shiver raced through her body. After a glance towards the other couple, who had spent the entire movie talking quietly, by the way, she tilted her head back so that he could see her face, illuminated by TV, better.

"Yours isn’t so bad either"

His reaction was expected. Butch took advantage of her opening to narrow the distance and kiss her, but for the first time, he did it in a gentle, fast, and silence. Perhaps because he’s taking into consideration the presence of her sister.

“I didn’t believe you’d accept the blue’s proposal, but I’m glad you came”

“I was curious, you never invited me to your house”

“You’re here now. I can give you a tour, but there isn’t anything interesting to see. Other than a place I hope you get used to”

“Where?”, she asked, making a somewhat funny expression.

“My bedroom”, although he was somewhat serious, he opened a mockingly smile.

“Smooth, bro”, Boomer said aloud, breaking the spell in Buttercup’s head, since she realized they weren't alone in the dark living room.

“Shut it”, she said to both, still hearing her sister laugh. “Can’t we just watch the damn movie?”

“I can watch the movie and tease you at the same time. I’m a man who can multitask”

“I’m trying to watch a movie here, you guys”

“Oh, shut up, Boomer. You’ve been talking to Blondie the whole movie”

“Let’s all be quiet, shall we? Hm?”

Bubbles asked in a diplomatic tone, of who is accustomed to trying to appease conflicts. She was usually the one who got in the middle of Blossom and Buttercup’s arguments.

The Green Puff snorted a few times and muttered some cursing mostly directed to her boyfriend, while picking up some more snacks on the table. Now, she just couldn’t concentrate.

Damn it, Butch, it’s all his fault! That kiss took her focus away.

“I’ll kiss you more later”, he said against her ear, almost like he had read her mind.

She tried to ignore him, staring at the TV as if it were the most interesting thing in the universe. Unfortunately, she couldn’t regain the same level of attention as before.

With each bite of the chips, the noise became louder, or it was just her impression because of nervousness. Or it was just anxiety for that to just be over?

And with these disturbances, masked by eating the snacks almost compulsorily, Buttercup spent the rest of the film time, until the letters of credit began to rise in the black screen.

“That was fun”, Boomer said as he got up and turned on the lights.

The sudden clarity struck the brunette’s eyes only for a few seconds, as Butch’s right hand soon covered them.

“It could be worse”, he said casually.

“Just admit you liked”, the blonde man said.

“BC first”

“I liked”, Buttercup answered without delay as she stood up and helped her sister and blonde Ruff collect the trash scattered around the room.

“Me too”, Bubbles said happily, taking the things she had in hand to the kitchen.

“Okay, so it was fun”, demonstrating no sign of getting up to help, Butch slowly stretched out on the couch and smirked. "Hey, what do you say we take that tour now?"

“To your bedroom? Thanks, but no”, she throws another can in the plastic bag.

“Who said anything about my room? Looks like someone’s really looking forward to going there, huh”

“In your dreams”

“Well, in them, you’ve been already there”

She bitted her lips and took a brief glance towards her sister, who was leaning over the counter and happily talking to her boyfriend aloud, making more plans for Sunday. Then she directed her eyes toward the boy in front of her and said, somewhat embarrassed.

“I guess a quick peek won’t hurt”, then she added in a hurry, "but just a look, okay? Don’t have any funny thoughts"

Caught by surprise, he stood up with a jolt, as if he were fearful that she would change her mind.

“Cool, let’s go”

Throughout the visit, he showed her the bathrooms, the room that seemed to contain several random things like games and more posters. Upstairs, he pointed to his brothers' bedrooms and stopped in front of the door to his own room.

“That’s it”, he finished, turning to her, who now seemed surprised.

"What? Weren’t you going to show me your room?"

“Now you want to see it?”

“C’mon, Butch! You got me all curious for nothing?”

His smile fell as his mouth twisted humorlessly. The relaxed look became serious, the green eyes became more intense.

“To be honest, Butters, if you come into my room I’m gonna feel like kissing you...hard. Maybe you won’t approve that, right?”

It was funny. Butch seemed to be provoking and flirting with her just fine a few minutes ago, and she felt that her answers were not indicating a complete disapproval of them. Nevertheless, even in the moments that she seemed inclined toward it and he was actually willing to take initiative, he always looked like this.

Like a boy about to be ditched.

“Butch, I know thinking is not your thing, but you need to use your head more”, she gave him a blissful bright smile. “Why do you think I agreed to come here?”

Was she curious from the start? Yes. Embarrassed? That too. Would she admit it out loud? Never.

He beamed after her reply and opened the door, taking a step to the side so she had access first.

Even if he hadn’t announced it, she’d know that that was his room. The walls were dark green, with a grey curtain leaving the room with less illumination. Above the unmade bed, there were some black and white framed posters and arts; she recognized one of them referencing the film Psycho and another to the group The Smiths.

On the bedside table was a desk lamp and a framed photo of the two of them. She thought it was cute, even though the photo was horrible, they had taken after a volleyball match and her face was sweaty and her hair had seen better days.

The black rectangular chest had the second drawer open with some T-shirts appearing to be hanging by a thread from the floor. Apparently, the furniture also served as a dresser, with some perfumes and products arranged above it. She stared at her own reflection in the round mirror.

“So, what do you think about my evil lair?”

“Cosy. Tidier than expected”

Buttercup sat on the bed, it was so soft that she soon laid down. The sheets smelled like Butch’s colon, which reminded her of a dense forest. She loved this fragrance of wood, leather, and musk notes. Shortly after, he was beside her.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes. I did”, she hummed.

“Will you come by tomorrow then?”, he took her hand in his and starts caressing her palm with his thumb.

“Already missing me?”

Expecting to receive a joke in response, Buttercup felt her hair stand up when he brought the back of her hand to his lips.

“Always”

Buttercup turned her face towards him and whispered, as if admitting something very intimate.

“Then don’t waste the rest of our time together and kiss me”

Butch quickly placed himself above the girl, with his elbows resting on the mattress.

"You’re getting bossier", he said playfully, leaning in and finally his lips sliding gently against hers.

What started slowly, with him taking his time to caress her slowly, soon became something more frantic. His tongue started to explore her mouth and some sounds slip out of her throat.

It was already becoming a custom for him to dictate the pace of the kiss. Buttercup was still trying to figure out how he did that. The theory she put most faith in was that his lips had her on a leash, and as soon as he put them on hers, she was hooked.

She had her legs wrapped around him, feeling her heart pounding hard against her rib cage when his hands began to travel through her body, while her hands slipped under his T-shirt.

“Buttercup!”

“Bro, c’mon!”

Their siblings shouts of perplexity made the couple stop abruptly.

“Fuck! I can’t believe you didn’t close the door!”, the Puff detangled herself from her boyfriend, shoving him with both hands.

“Hey, you didn’t notice that too!”

He defended himself, while still frowning at the unwanted visitors standing at the door.

“Whatever!”, she replied while she was straightening her wrinkled blouse and pants, turning to her sister. Her face was all red. “Is it time to go?”

“Yes. Let’s hurry, before dad creates a negative image of the boys”, Bubbles hurried to speak, already recovered from the shock of seeing her sister in a making out session.

Buttercup had forgotten the agreement to come home before dinner. It was the only way for their father to allow this little visit.

“If he had seen what we saw, my brother would already be in a tight spot”, Boomer commented, with a provocative smile.

Butch's reply was only a look that could be interpreted as “shut up” and “fuck you”.

They accompanied the girls to the door. But Butch was still sulking.

Determined to not say goodbye and leave her boyfriend in a bad mood, before leaving the house, Buttercup leaned on tiptoe and touched his lips lightly with hers.

“See you”

That was her way of telling him that she would come by again, and hopefully, when he kisses her again, he’ll remember to close the door.


	8. Smoking Rehab

_“Cigarette-to-cigarette, watching the smoke in the air get lost. I live alone without you, the one I can’t forget.”_

– _De Cigarro em Cigarro_ , Ney Matogrosso.

A _mess_. That’s all she thought about her situation, as she waited for the sun to burst through the window and her alarm clock announced that she should get ready for school.

“Fuck!”

The green blanket landed on the ground after a kick of frustration.

Of course, she was going to the grave she had dug herself, but that didn’t make this any less uncomfortable.

It all started because of a cigarette. A fucking cigarette. And the Puff, God forbid, didn’t even smoke!

Some months ago, finishing her after class training, Buttercup tried a short cut through the furthest part of the school parking lot, who knows even take the opportunity to see if there were any high schooler stupid enough to do something illicit at the school that she attended.

As she walked, there was a loud exhalation sound, followed by the smell of tobacco.

Already wearing the heroine shoes, she skirted to the other side of the wall covered by some graffiti.

"Why am I not surprised that it’s you?", her hands were on her waist.

"Hey, Butterbitch. Want one?"

Butch made mention of offering the cigarette he had in hand with a false cordiality.

“First, smoking is not allowed in the school ground”

“That’s not a problem, the school it’s behind this wall, ya know”, he interrupted her.

“Second”, she stressed the word, shutting him up quickly and displaying a more serious face. “You’re a minor. You can’t smoke”

“Apparently, I can”

He swallowed once again deeply, with a defiant look, and blew the smoke in the air between his teeth. In response, the girl approached him quickly and pulled that nasty thing from his lips, throwing it on the floor and then stepping on it.

“Your lungs will thank me later”

“I didn’t know you cared so much about my health”

He stared at her from above with a lecherous smile. On the other hand, the girl reciprocated the look with furrowed eyebrows and stiff eyes.

“I don’t. But I do mind following the school rules”

“I can just light another one”

“I know, but it’s not gonna be here”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, as they usually did when they met. Back when they were kids, Buttercup considered these encounters "easy" to deal with, so to speak, because they soon started to fight and things would work out. Now that they’ve grown up, they were just awkward encounters, with small, unfounded discussions.

Butch leaned against the wall. She faced the boy’s features. When he had matured so much, she wondered.

He was the tallest, grossest, and most annoying of the brothers, but also the toughest and harder to deal with in a fight. Obviously, he was her counterpart. Nevertheless, seeing him like that, always smoking like a chimney was disturbing.

For her, it made him look weak.

Buttercup felt like punching him. How dare he be so much like her and display that frail side? She could not tolerate it.

“You stink”, she stated.

“And you’re noisy”, he rebuked.

He started playing with the lighter in his hands absent-mindedly.

"I’m going. But if I see you smoking, here again, you’ll answer to me" she threatened while pressing her index finger on the boy’s chest.

“God, sounds like I’m in trouble”, his tone was one of debauchery.

Like this, Buttercup’s saga against cigarettes began. She went to meet him by the wall every day after class, just to remove the cigarette from his grip, after some bickering.

Honestly, she didn’t know where she was going with this idea. But, a part of her loved seeing Butch getting more stressed out every day.

Until the day he charged something in return.

It happened right after she took the cigarette out of his mouth, as usual. Using her distraction to his advantage, he leaned over and kissed her. Her shock allowed him to manage to recover the cigarette from her hands.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Retribution. You took something of mine, I took something of yours”, she tried to punch him, but he caught her fist. “And just so you know, I will do worse from now on, cause this joke of yours ain’t funny anymore”

After stepping on his foot with strong enough to make a sound and in a vicious manner, she spent the rest of her way home thinking about what he had done and calling him names.

However, her insistent personality would not allow her to give up. Now, she wanted to get him to stop smoking at all costs.

The next day, she appeared again and he sighed loudly. As Butch began to curse her, she kissed him deeply, this time surprising him, and took that disgusting thing out of his hands.

“Ugh, you taste like tobacco. That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend”, dramatically, she wiped her mouth with the back of her left hand.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I thought a lot about what you said. And, you know, I just really hate these things”, she opened a slightly sickening smile. "But seeing you so pissed it’s a plus”

The Ruff pushed her against the wall, looking truly angry and ready to return to the old habit of “talking” with his fists. However, he stopped and reciprocated the evil smile.

"I said I would make it worse and worse, every day that goes by. I didn’t lie, little Puff"

“Lay on me, Butchie boy. I can take it”

In the first week, he received the kisses as a bargaining chip without causing trouble. On the second, things changed when he started to make them last longer, and even use his tongue. In the third week, he began to extend the kiss to her neck, marking it on two occasions. On fourth, warm hands started sliding down the women’s back.

At first, his advances scared her, but now she was impassive. Some days, they didn’t even talk, just did the "transaction" in silence, and then went their way.

Buttercup realized what his threat implied. Butch planned to push her to the edge until she couldn’t take it anymore, leaving him alone.

Even though sometimes she pushed him and rushed away, with promises of breaking his face, she always came back. And he was always smoking.

Yet, sometimes he let escape, among the provocations and occasional flirtations, some glimpses of his sadness. The cigarette, as she came to understand, was the boy’s emotional cane.

A way for him to disconnect from the world. From his criminal parents, or creators as he once referred, from his siblings, from his situation as a young criminal whom few people saw a future. A future that he didn’t see.

That’s what his MO looked like. Taking out on cigarettes his internal frustration, maybe even the anger he was building up from stopping committing crimes.

It was evident that only her nagging wouldn’t cure his bad habit. However, Buttercup was unable to ignore it. Maybe her company would help him somehow.

All of a sudden, the memory of the fifth week overwhelmed her. That damn Monday that changed everything.

Of course, she expected some further advancement. One might say that she even wait for this exciting unknown with enjoyment. Maybe a part of her was starting to take a liking for the wrong thing. Or, perhaps a part of her was even enjoying his touch. Though, she couldn’t admit it.

She should’ve noticed the change when, abruptly, he pulled her close after she took the cigarette out of his mouth. Buttercup was pushed against the wall, as he started the kiss avidly.

“Are you going to stop coming, now?”, he suddenly asked against her ear, with a husky voice.

Strangely, she felt that this time he was not pushing her away. It sounded as if he was waiting for a positive reaction to his touch.

Waiting for her to say she would stay.

The girl only answered a low "no" between her erratic breath.

“Then it's all downhill for you”

With ease, Butch lifted her, sliding his hands from the waist to the back of her thighs, as the girl wrapped her legs around his waist to balance herself. Her arms were steady around his neck; although she didn’t doubt that he would not let her fall.

Buttercup could feel his fast heartbeat against her chest, or maybe it was her own, while her lips were against his mouth.

A part of her mind screamed that she should stop. After all, she was in a make-out session behind a wall in the "abandoned" part of the high school parking lot with none other than Butch. The RowdyRuff Boy who tried to kill her several times in the past.

Looking at the situation from a logical point of view, she shouldn’t be doing this. Nope. She should’ve kicked his ass for having the audacity to touch her.

The problem was: she didn’t have time to think. Shit, maybe she was afraid that if she stopped to think, the reality that this was something she wanted would come out.

Buttercup was becoming desperate for his touch. Sometimes, she’d take a few cold, long showers, trying to shove these feelings aside. But they gave her no rest, not even in her dreams, for the boy began to inhabit them too.

When he gave her the chance to end whatever this was, the quick denial should have given her away. But she didn’t expect the Ruff to pick that up. He was kind of dumb in that department.

Butch grabbed the end of her skirt, lifted the fabric, leaving more exposed skin to explore, and moved his mouth to her neck, managing to take some lewd sighs out of the girl.

His right hand began to explore the limit of her underwear, but she was captivated by his kisses and didn’t realize the danger of that movement until his mouth left her neck and went to her right ear. The warm breath against her skin and his deep voice seemed to hypnotize her.

“Fuck.If I keep doing this, I won’t stop”

This had sounded like a half-promise and half-warning.

“Than do it, don’t say it”

His hand meted her pantie and soon two fingers were inside of her. She blinked owlishly as her mind registered this new sensation. Even though the pleasure was greater than the embarrassment, her face was catching fire, so she hid it, leaning on the shoulder of the boy.

“Fuck”, she murmured with a shaky voice, as her grip on Butch’s shoulders got tighter.

“Not yet”, he teased.

The movements showed no sign of unraveling, with her being wet enough for his fingers slid with ease. Touching spots that she hadn’t touched, and he seemed to know what he was doing.

“Ain’t this good?”, his voice was deep and slow.

Buttercup only muffled a response, as he hit a particularly pleasurable spot. At some point, her body was bucking against his hand.

With only the frantic breaths of both creating a symphony in the quiet place, Butch continued with his administration on her, until she gasps for air and her entire body goes through a series of small tremblings.

After he moved his hand back to her thighs, he proceeded to watch her calm down. The girl’s green eyes were no longer focusing on him and her thoughts wandered after climax.

“So”, he resumed talking, not breaking the visual contact. “Are you coming again next week?”

She touched his chest, tentative, her hand lightly against the flat hard muscle. In a way, that movement was her way of showing a moment of truce between them.

“Do you want me to come?”

A low laugh escaped through the boy’s lips as he came even closer - if that were possible - and proceeded to caress the thighs he was holding.

“I just fingered you and I’m letting you touch me like this. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to complain about this arrangement”

The heat went up her cheeks when he mentioned what had just happened.

Biting her lower lip, controlling the shame he had surely noticed from her rosy cheeks, she muttered.

“That’s not what I asked”

After exhaling deeply to the point where his shoulders moved, he said seriously.

“It’s just like I said. This thing it’s working for me”, he stopped for a moment and stared at her again, in an intriguing way.

“What about for you?”, he pressed again.

Buttercup leaned further back, and looked over his shoulders, trying to organize her thoughts without the interference of his countenance, which seemed to provoke her only to get answers.

Answers she didn’t know or didn’t want to share.

What did she think of all this? Why did she go on with this? Or rather, why she didn’t want to stop?

“I’m ok with this”

These were the questions she knew she should ask, ponder, and accept the answer that was there, even though she was obviously afraid to face it.

However, she did not do so at that time and only gave him an answer devoid of much information.

Although he had not been completely satisfied with the response, he soon hid his discontent and bent over to kiss her again.

“We’re doing this again?”, she asked between pauses.

He licked against her lower lip, urging her to give in to him.

“Don’t you liked it?”

His voice deep and slow. Damn. He was a good kisser. She could barely think straight when he did that. So, like always, she didn’t, and just let herself go with it.

That week had been great, but now another Monday was coming and she was thinking, laying wide-awake on her bed.

All those questions that she avoided it until then, were resonating in her thoughts and preventing sleep from come.

Buttercup was starting to get emotionally attached to Butch. As she watched him more closely she began to understand him, as she understood him she came to empathize with his situation.

Not to mention the touching. Shit, she forgot everything when he touched her. It felt so good it was almost criminal. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? She wasn’t doing shit to help him with his smoking problem.

Moreover, what kind of relationship was that? Where exactly was this going?

When the dawn was ending, came the admission: she was beginning to like him. What’s more, she soon admitted that if this were to continue, the cigarette could not be the reason for their meetings and come between them.

It was a crutch that needed to be thrown away.

Decided, and perhaps a little crazed by her lack of sleep, Buttercup picked up the phone next to the bed and typed a message that might as well end it all.

But she hoped it wouldn’t.

* * *

Amazingly enough, it had been a few weeks since Butch Jojo was waking up on time to go to school. Not that he cared about his classes, far from it, his interest was in the afterschool. He didn’t have a club, but he swore he’d found a hobby.

However, that particular night, he had not exactly slept to wake up.

After all, one person was fixated on his mind.

In fact, all that mental picture of her with her mouth between open, short sighs, and her green eyes trying to find a point of focus. It had been too sublime to watch her come with his touches.

Of course, he did it again that week, but that first time was thrilling since he couldn’t predict her reaction. And, boy, was that a positive reaction.

And then he saw the message.

"If you keep smoking, this is over"

His first reaction was anger. What did she mean? What if he kept smoking this thing that was starting to get good would end up?

He threw his phone in the bed and grunted low.

Who cares about her? Ha! He could find pleasure elsewhere, with someone else who doesn’t mind if he smokes.

Nevertheless, when he was in the shower, being struck by the stupidly frizzing water, the image of her never left his head.

The neon green eyes that didn’t waver before him, the pink mouth that was incredibly soft, and those hands, that used to be responsible for a lot of injuries, now wandered through his body, caressing him.

Butch closed the shower and put his forehead on the cold tile.

Fuck, he did care.

After getting ready, he went downstairs and ran into his brother - the only one who seemed to care for school, but Butch knew it was only because he was doing well and Red was always the type to brag about his accomplishments. Even though Butch doesn’t give a shit about them.

“You’re up this early?”, Brick questioned while watching his brother pouring a cup of coffee.

“Couldn’t sleep”

“Bad dreams?”

Of course, Brick would think it was because of Him, who sometimes visited them in dreams. A meeting that was not always... pleasant.

“The opposite, actually”

The leader seemed puzzled.

“Then why are you looking like shit?”

Butch grumbled and sighed loudly.

“Isn’t too early for you to question me?”. 

“Whatever, it’s your problem, anyway”

Brick had a monotonous tone, but his eyes still showed a little worry.

A concern that the Ruff Green didn’t need, nor asked for it.

“I’m off”, he announced.

But before he could leave the house, he turned around and left the pack of cigarettes, that he always carried in his jacket pocket, on the table.

“Are you quitting?”, Brick questioned him again, surprised.

“What?”

“I don’t see you smoking around the house anymore, and now you’re leaving it here”

Really? He didn’t even realize it.

When was the last time he lit a cigarette in the house? Was he just lighting up after class? Why was he carrying this thing then?

A voice in the back of his mind answered: _so that she should come and take the cigarette out of your mouth_.

When he realized he’d been silent for a long time, Butch just replied with a coy look.

“Maybe”

For the first time since he had acquired that lethal habit, Butch left the pack at home.


End file.
